Keeping pigs
The following advice is for keeping pigs in temperate climes. For information on keeping pigs in the tropics, click this link:
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[edit] Why Keep Pigs?
Some people keep pigs as pets but most people keep pigs for meat production, either directly or indirectly. Our ultimate purpose was meat production, but the original driver was a desire to bring more field into cultivation for vegetables. Rather than dig it all, we decided to let pigs do it for us.
Apart from poultry, pigs get the worst deal from intensive agriculture and commercially produced pork is pretty poor quality. And we like pork. And bacon. And sausages. Pigs are great for smallholders; pigs clear ground, fertilise it, eat vegetable waste and produce lovely meat. It is rumoured that you can use everything but the "oink".
Composted pig manure is an excellent material to be added in garden soils.
[edit] Pig Breeds
Keeping pigs in the UK
Some of the larger breeds of pig do have a reputation for their even temperaments e.g. Gloucestershire Old Spots but most pet pig keepers will probably be thinking of a smaller type of pig e.g. Pot Bellied Pig or Kune Kune Pig (especially if you are going to let it roam the house!). A visit to some of the UK's many country shows will enable you to see at first hand some of these breeds and have a chat with prospective suppliers.
If you are thinking of one of the smaller breeds, you will also need to investigate feed suppliers as most small pet pigs require quite a specific low protein diet, which is found in pot bellied pig food (at least during the winter when grazing is more restricted). This type of diet will not routinely be available in your local pet shop and you may need to access this via a farm store or internet shopping.
There are eight British rare breeds:
- Berkshire
- British Lop
- British Saddleback
- Gloucestershire Old Spot
- Large Black
- Middle White
- Tamworth
- Welsh
Decide which breed best suits your purpose and environment, and which you can easily buy in your locale. Given the nature of rare breeds you may have to travel some distance to your nearest breeder.
[edit] Pig Sizes
The size for one average pig (I've based this on Yorkshire Whites, it's worked well for them, Spotted Chinas, and Durocs...so for similar-sized breeds, maturing around 250-300 pounds) is about 8'x16'. For piglets, it depends on what size they'll be when they get moved out of the pen. If they're going to be adult size, then a pen with about 130 square feet for each animal is necessary. My own piglets get moved out of the farrowing pen when they're about 20 pounds and grown out to about 100 pounds in the piglet pen, for them I have no less than 50 square feet per animal.
[edit] Buying Pigs
Once you've bought your pigs you'll need to get them home. Although young pigs are small, bear in mind that they can be strong, boisterous, do produce extremely smelly dung and don't have any obvious "handles". They also make an incredible amount of noise - a ear-splitting shriek - when being handled.
[edit] Designing your pig pen
Pigs are natural browsers and grazers who gain much from spending as much time as possible in an outdoor environment. All the rare and other traditional breeds of British pig were bred as hardy outdoor animals. If provided with some suitable protection against the elements, a good stockman's care and attention plus the freedom to move at will they produce good healthy litters.
An outdoor pig will not dirty its living and sleeping area for contrary to popular belief the pig is not a dirty animal. With a traditional wooden outdoor ark there is less work ‘mucking out’ and more time to enjoy the real pleasures of pig keeping.
The first consideration is the number of pigs you intend to house in the pen. If you're unsure, it's generally a good idea to build a pen with sufficient room for two or three additional animals. The general rule of thumb is to build an 8'x16' space per animal (16'x16' for two animals, and so on), though this will vary depending on the animal's breed and the size they'll be before they are sold or butchered, if applicable.
A pig needs a warm and dry home in which to sleep and rest. Protection against the wind and rain is important but pigs also need shade. Like humans a pig can get sunburnt and shelter against those harmful rays should not be overlooked.
Pigs need to have access to a wallow. Most often, this is just a patch of ground kept well-watered so they have some mud to roll in, helping them to keep cool in warm weather. If a wallow is not an option, lots of shade will be required and they may have to be misted down regularly to prevent overheating. Bear in mind that light-colored pigs also sunburn easily and will need additional care to prevent these hazardous burns.
Materials
Pens must be made very sturdy to stand up to the wear and tear of keeping pigs in. Even the most docile animals will often use the fence to scratch against, try to reach through the holes to reach interesting things on the other side, and so on. Pigs are exceptionally compact and powerfully-built animals, so the fence has to be set up with their strength in mind. Wooden or metal fence posts work well for these pens, though wood may get chewed on. Metal posts are a little more expensive, but definitely worth the cost when it comes to pigs. Ideally, metal posts should be at least 6' tall so they can be pounded at least 2' into the ground.
Many people who use wooden slats find that they need to protect it with wire mesh to keep the pigs from chewing it to slivers.
Hog panels are generally the most popular option for hobbyists and small-scale farmers. These panels are relatively cheap and maintenance-free, only needing replaced if a pig manages to badly damage the panel, and they are very easy to set up by attaching to fence posts with sturdy wire (for metal posts) or a combination of wire and wood staples (for wooden posts). The pens do not have to be very tall, though small holes between slats or wire mesh is essential as pigs have been known to climb over some fences, namely wooden slats.
Building the pig pen
Setting up a pig pen is one of the most important aspects for raising pigs. A good pig pen is crucial to raising pigs and if you don't have a good pen, your pigs could hurt themselves or catch a disease. Here are some steps on how to create the perfect pen for your pigs so they live a happy and healthy life as well as being able to be feed and cared for easily:
Step 1 Pick a flat area to set up your pen. You will need a site that has good drainage since standing water and mud can attract insects that can bite the pig. Many pig pens are built with concrete slabs to make them easier to clean.
Step 2 Build a small house in your area to protect the pigs in case of bad weather. Pigs are very sensitive to changes in weather. Always have a place where your pigs can stay warm and dry.
Step 3 Build a fence that is at least 4 feet high. Pigs can jump high and run quickly if they are motivated enough. You don't want them escaping if they get startled or scared.
Step 4 Separate areas of the pen. Pigs are organized animals and keep separate areas for eating, sleeping, playing, and going to the toilet. Based on where they choose to do these things, organize where you put the shelter, food, and water.
Step 5 Put plenty of straw in the pen. Put extra in the area where the pigs sleep and relieve themselves. It helps capture the odor and waste from your pigs making the pen easier to clean. It also gives them a good and comfortable place to rest.
Don't forget to build your pig pen with sturdy materials. Pigs like to dig and run around. If your pen is not strong, the pigs will destroy it easily. Pigs like to scratch - provide a scratching post within the pen
If you follow these steps, you will be able to build a great pig pen for your pigs! Put the same effort into building a pig pen as you would do if you built your own house. All things need a good space to live in and pigs are no exception.
[edit] Feeding Pigs and providing water
Pigs, like all animals, must have constant access to clean fresh drinking water. Pigs also like to make a wallow - a muddy hole - to lie in. They may do this by tipping the water out of their water trough. They will also stand in the water trough and wash their dirty faces in it. So it needs to be checked regularly, cleaned out and refilled.
A pig is capable of drinking 24 gallons of water each day. Therefore, some fresh and clean water should be readily available at all times.
If you are clever and have the right equipment, you can mix your own food for your pigs. But we would recommend investing in a good quality commercial pig food.
Given half a chance, pigs will root through their food and make quite a mess with it. This is both a waste of food and a potential health hazard as the food can then get moldy and/or attract additional insects to the pen. Top-filling automatic feeders work well to avoid this problem. These feeders contain large amounts of food (depending on the size of the feeder, generally anywhere from 50lb on up) and allow a small amount to be available at a time in a small opening below. This opening is of a size that a pig can comfortable eat their food, but don't have room to root around in it. Having an automatic feeder ensures that the pigs always have access to clean, dry food.
[edit] Handling Pigs
Get your pigs hand tame i.e. tame enough for you to stroke them. It makes it much easier when you have to move them or carry out any veterinary treatment. Food's a great bribe.
[edit] Pig Health
Where applicable, it's worth checking that there is a vet in your area that deals with large animals before you buy your pigs. Many veterinary practices only deal with small animals - cats, dogs etc etc.
Scratch your pig on its back or belly. Pigs loved to be scratched and often scratch themselves against anything that doesn't move. Excessive scratching, however, may indicate a skin disease or insect bites.
[edit] Slaughtering Pigs
- For slaughtering have your transport arranged - you will need a livestock trailer, some straw to line it with and something to pull it;
- Don't feed the pigs the night before taking them to slaughter. Getting them into and out of the trailer will be a lot easier if they are hungry;
[edit] The cost of keeping pigs
Here's an example from the UK:
At the end of April 2007, we bought two unregistered Tamworth boars for £35 each. We used about 38 bags of feed during their time here; this cost £7.25 per 20kg bag apart from the last couple which cost £7.50. We used about four bales of straw at £2.50 a bale. The pigs were slaughtered locally in mid October; the cost of slaughter and delivery to our local butcher was £46. The butcher charged us £60 to butcher three halves; one customer wanted his half unbutchered. We sold the meat for £2.60 per lb of butchered meat - if the head, trotters etc were available, we put them in free of charge. The total income was about £330. In total our expenditure was about £460, offset by the income of £330, so our whole pig cost about £130.
[edit] Links
- Pig Keeping in the Tropics - http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/AD1.pdf
- Accidental smallholder http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/articles/pigs/breeds/
- Building a much larger pig pen for commercial reasons - http://www.thepigsite.com/pighealth/article/227/farrowing-house-design
